Solar-heat-accumulating system



Dec. is, 1928.

' 1,696,003 w. J. HARVEY SOLAR HEAT ACCUMULATING SYSTEM Filed Oct. 21, 1924 2 Sheets Sheet l r W WW Deb. 18, 1928. 1,696,003 7 W. J. HARVEY SOLAR HEAT ACCUMULATING SYSTEM Filed Oct. 21, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lln enfoli Patented Dec. 18, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER J'. HARVEY, OF TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA.

SOLAR-HEAT-ACCUMULATING SYSTEM.

Application filed October 21, 1924. Serial No. 744,997.

2 The princ1pal features of the inventionv consist in the novel arrangement of means for concentra-tin the suns rays with a means for transterring the heat energy of the rays to a circulating storage fluid.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional diagram of a heating installation for a house.

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional View through the concentrating heater.

The active heat of the suns rays is of course a well known fact and many devices have been conceived for concentrating the fleeting device is not herein shown as diflerrays so that the heat may be utilized for instance, by the direct application of the rays to heating a boiler.

The present invention contemplates the utilization of the heat of the rays to heat a medium which will retain a high temperature for a considerable period of'time and which will dispense the accumulated heat as may be desired for various purposes.

In the method of utilizing the suns heat illustrated herein, the diagram shown in Figure 1 illustrates a house equipment. On the upper floor of the house is arranged a room 1 which is open to receive the rays of the sun through glazed walls and roof and within this room is arranged a suitable form of reflecting device 2 which is so constructed as to reflect the suns rays to a fixed point throughout the day. The construction of this reent forms may be devised and such construction does not form part of the present invention.

Arranged above the reflecting device 2 is the heat receiving and transmitting device 3', which is here shown in the form of a hood having its walls formed of heat insulating This hood is formed or refractory material. with a circular converging apron 4 leading to a chamber 5 of concave form. Opening downwardly and within the chamber 5 is arranged a tubular spiral coil 6 having its inlet end 7at the bottom connected with a tank 8 arranged above the device 3.

The upper end of the coil 6 is preferably ranched. with a erally arranged leads 9 connected with an annular chamber 10 and this chamber is connected with a chamber 11 arranged thereabove by a plurality of tubes 12.

The tubes 12 are shown provided with a plurality of heat absorbing discs 13 within the chamber 14 enclosing the tubes and the heat reflected into the transmitting device 4 after heating the coil 6 is further absorbed by the discs 13 andthe tubes 12.

A tube 15 leads upwardly from the top of the chamber 11 and contains a thermostat. A circulating tube 16 leads from the topof the tube 15 back to the chamber 10 so that there will be a constant circulation of the fluid medium for transmitting the heat through the tube 15 carrying the thermostat.

An outflow tube 17 leads from the upper chamber 11 and is connected to a circulating pump 18 which forces the heated fluid medium through a conduit 19 to a storage receiver 20 which is here shown arranged in the basement of the building and which is enclosed within an insulating casing 21.

The pump 18 is of any suitable design operated by any suitable form of motor indicated in Figure 1 by the numeral 22. This motor can be controlled by any desirable form of switch mechanism and the switch 23, the

details of which are not shown, is connected with an arm 24 extending from the pivoted bar 25 carried on the bracket 26 mounted on the top of the transmitting device and which is actuated by the thermostat rod 27.

The bar 25 has connected to its outer end a rod 28, the lower end of the rod being connected to the arm 29 of the shutter 30, which is pivotally supported at the lower rim of the apron 4.

The apron 4 is preferably provided with a shield 31 of quartz through which the refleet-ed rays from the reflector 2 are directed and the shutter is adapted to close over the quartz plate in the event of the heat becoming too intense.

When the thermostat rod expands it tilts the bar 25 on its pivot and through the rod 28 its swings the shutter.

A branchpipe 32 is connected to the outflow pipe 17 and leads to the top tank 8 and is provided with a valve 33. The valve is connected by a link 34 with the bar 25 and is so adjusted that when the thermostat expands to a predetermined point it will open the valve 33 and allow the flow of the fluid medium to the tank 8 and thus provide a local relief.

Oil of a high flash point is the preferred fluid medium for receiving and storing the heat and as the suns rays are reflected from the surface oic' the reflector 2 into the concave chamber 5 they are absorbed b the coil 6 and the oil contained therein ows upwardly into the chamber 10 through the tubes 12 into the chamber 14 and from thence through the outflowtube 17 from which it is pumped to the storage receiver 20.

A temperature in the neighborhood of 700 F. may be attained by the oil but in the event of the heat being so intense as to raise the temperature of the oil in the heater coil above a predetermined point the shutter is operated by the thermostat to deflect the rays from the reflector and also to open the local relief through the branch pipe 32.

In the diagram illustrated in Figure 1, various pipes are connected to the receiver 20 and oil may be taken therefrom at high temperature to the various heating appliances throughout the house, such as the radiators or the stove 36.

The return circulation carries the oil back to the receiver at a low point. I

vVater heaters37 are shown in the form of coils passing through tanks 38 through which the hot oil is circulated and, the water from these coils is carried to the various heating appliances throughout the building.

neeaooa which means may be in the form of an oil burner, a gas burner or an electric heater.

The equipment shown is of course merely diagrammatic and the construction of the apparatus is also largely diagrammatic as it may be altered in details to a considerable extent without departing from the spirit of the invention.

W hat I claim as my invention is 1. In a solar heat accumulating system, a diurnal reflector adapted to d' ect the suns rays to a fixed point, a receiver adapted to contain a fluid heat absorbing medium, a circulating conduit connected with said receiver, a helically shaped tubular coil introduced in said conduit and arranged at said fixed point, a chamber connected with the upper end of said coil, tubes leading upwardly from said chamber, an annular chamber connected with the upper ends of said tubes, a pipe leading from the upper chamber and forming part of the circulating conduit, a pump arranged in said upper pipe, and means for operating said pump to efl ect the circulation of said heat absorbing fluid. 1

2. In a solar heat accumulating system, an

insulated receiver adapted to contain a fluid heat absorbing medium, a circulating conduit connected with said receiver, a heat exchange device connected with said circulating. conduit, a diurnal reflector adapted to concentrate the suns rays on said heat exchange device, a shutter adapted to beinterposed between the reflector and said heat exchange device for controlling the reflected rays, a thermostat arranged in said heat exchange device, means operatively connecting said thermostat with said shutterfor operating the latter, and means for circulating the fluid medium through said conduit and receiver.

WALTER J. HARVEY. 

